UWM picks Amanda Braun as new athletic director

Amanda Braun won't start her job as athletic director at UW-Milwaukee until May 1, but she's already looking forward to rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.

"I'm very, very excited," she said in a telephone interview. "I can't wait to get to know the staff better and get out in the community and start to understand what people are looking for."

Braun, executive senior associate director of athletics at Northeastern University in Boston, on Monday was named athletic director at UWM.

The 39-year-old Wisconsin native succeeds Andy Geiger, who came to UWM in May 2012 on a 13-month contract to help the university through a transitional period.

Geiger was brought in after Rick Costello resigned as athletic director after less than 18 months on the job. Costello had replaced George Koonce, the former Green Bay Packers linebacker who resigned in June 2010 after a rocky tenure.

"Amanda Braun is the future of UWM athletics," Geiger said in a news release. "I've worked with many outstanding athletic administrators and have been extremely impressed with Amanda.

"She's ready to lead an NCAA Division I program and I look forward to working with her."

Geiger has agreed to stay on at UWM after Braun arrives to support the upcoming university-wide fundraising campaign.

"Oh, that is really valuable," Braun said. "I've had some time to talk with Andy and I have a great appreciation for his career and a great deal of respect for him."

Braun, a graduate of Brodhead High School, served in various athletic administration positions at UW-Green Bay before leaving for Northeastern University in 2006.

"Being back in Wisconsin was part of (the appeal of the UWM job) but only a small part of it," she said. "I really enjoy this level of athletics. I'm very familiar with the Horizon League from my tenure in Green Bay.

"It all kind of lined up for me and the timing was great."

Braun holds a master's degree in sports administration from North Carolina and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Siena, which she attended on a basketball scholarship.

At Northeastern, Braun has served as the top administrator to the athletic director and directly supervises four sports programs, including men's and women's basketball.

She supervises the Northeastern business office staff and oversees its $10 million annual operating budget and $10 million annual athletic scholarships budget. She also is involved in fundraising, athletic capital projects and student-athlete academic compliance.

Northeastern fields 18 NCAA Division 1 teams and is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

"The strengths of Amanda's accomplishments and her well-rounded experiences definitely stood out among the high-quality candidates seeking this position," UWM Chancellor Michael R. Lovell said in a news release.

Braun had been one of three finalists for the job. The others were Paul Plinske, the athletic director at UW-Whitewater, and James Schmidt, the athletic director at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Schmidt withdrew his name from consideration last week.

Braun said she was impressed with the administration and athletic department staff at UWM during the interview process.

"I spent a good amount of time with some of the people there and what jumps out is their passion for what they're doing," she said. "They are so eager to get started and get some direction.

"On the campus, there is great leadership from the chancellor and vice chancellor. There are a lot of people who are excited about athletics being successful."

UWM faces important decisions about facilities, particularly for the men's basketball team.

Geiger shook up the Milwaukee establishment by pulling the team out of the U.S. Cellular Arena downtown and bringing it back to campus while he and school leaders tried to figure out how to build a multipurpose facility.

The Panthers played their home games at the Klotsche Center this season.

"I know it's a hot topic and it's important," Braun said. "We need to find the right solution. What was good to me was to hear so many people talk about it and to hear so many different ideas. I think that's good.

"We need to find an option that suits the institution and do it with a sense of urgency."

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About Gary D'Amato

Gary D'Amato is the Journal Sentinel's sports columnist and also covers golf and the Olympic Games. He is a three-time National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association sportswriter of the year in Wisconsin and has won numerous national writing awards.